Method of operating internal-combustion engines.



A C. D. MCCLINTOCK.

NETHon or OPERATING INTERNAL coNTBusTloN ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY i6. 19|2.

Emma Tuly 1T, 1917.

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CHARLES D. MCCLINTOCK, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 MGCLINTOCK ENGINE COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHI- GAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July f7, 1917.

Application filed July 16, 1912. Serial No. 709,627.

v To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. MoCLiN- Took, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Operating Internal,- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to the operation of internal combustion engines by the ignition and combination of the fuel as it is introduced in the engine cylinder. Heretofore internal combustion engines have been operated lby several different methods, all belonging to the same type. In one the air for supporting combustion is highly compressed in the engine cylinder during the compression stroke ofthe piston, and the fuel is then injected to develop the power for the working stroke. Another method is to compress the air and gas externally of the engine and to introduce and burn the gases during the working stroke. The iirst of these methods has the disadvantage that a full cylinder volume of air is compressed during each cycle without regard to the quantity of fuel that is introduced and burned. This occasions loss of efficiency, particularly where the engine is operating under. light loads. With the second method the gases introduced from a storage external to the engine are. at low temperature and consequently the combustion is not as rapid or as complete as where they are under the internal heat ofthe With the present invention Ivhave overcome both of these objections by proportioning the compressed air in the cylinder during the working stroke to the quantity of fuel introduced, said air being, however, under the high internal heat of the engine and being introduced with the fuel in proportion to the piston displacement during the initial portion of the Working stroke. A further feature of the invention is that the air is compressed in the working cylinder, but is ejected therefrom and trapped in proximity thereto, only a pqrtion of the compressed volume being utilized 1n the working stroke. This results in accumulative pressure in the trapped air which may be carried to as high a point as desirable, and on account of the proximity of the storage to the engine cylinder the temperature maintained is always high. Still a further feature of the invention is the intimate mixing or commingling of the highly compressed air and fuel as they are introduced into the cylinder, which insures more complete and rapid combustion.

Various constructions may be employed for carrying out my improved method, and in the drawing, I have shown one, the engine being in longitudinal section.

As therein shown A is an engine cylinder; B the piston; C the pitman; and D the crank, all of usual construction. The engine is also shown as of the two-cycle type, and to this end the crank case E is used as a compression chamber for the volumeof air which scavenges the burnt gases from the cylinder at the completion of the power stroke, through exhaust ports F and is subsequently compressed.

To control the quantity of air utilized during the power stroke, the clearance space within the engine cylinder is reduced to the minimum and a storage chamber is ar` ranged adjacent to the cylinder Iand of suficient volume for holding the compressed air at, the desired pressure. This storage chamber G communicates with the cylinder through a passage I-I and port I, the latter being controlled by an automatic orspring pressed valve J operating as a check.V Thus during each compression stroke the volume of air in` the cylinder is compressed and will force the valve J from its seat, permitting it to pass into the chamber G, and as the latter is separated from the engine cyl-- inder merely by a partition or division wall,

K it will be subjected to the internal heat. The air trapped in the chamber G cannot automatically return to the cylinder but a timed valve operating mechanism is provided for lifting the valve J during the initial portion of the working stroke, whereby a portion of the compressed air is permitted to renter the cylinder. Provision is also made for introducing a proportionate quantity 0f fuel and, as shown, a second valve L is -concentrically arranged within the valve J, and is operated by the same timed mechanism, such as a valve rod M operated 'by a cam N. Thus whenever the also lift the valve J and the. fuel introduced will be in the center of the stream of air passing through the port I, which will insure intimate commingling of the gases.

Any suitable fuel may be used, but as shown a liquid fuel is first introduced in a chamber O within the valve L, from which it passes by a check valve I into a chamber Q also in the valve. In the latter chamber it is subjected to the high heat developed in the engine and is thus gasiiied in advance of its introduction into the stream of air.

In operation, during each cycle a full volume of air is compressed and forced into the storage chamber G, the valve J automatically seating. The oil or other liquid fuel is introduced into the chamber O by a suitable pump or other ,means not shown, from which it passes into the chamber Q and is gasied. i

During the working stroke both valves J and L are unseated which permits the compressed air with a proportionate quantity of the gas to enter the cylinder, moving the piston Lby the initial pressure which is maintained by the combustion of the gases. In startingan igniter such as R is used for igniting the gases, but whenl the engine'is in full operation the high pressure and high temperature will cause automatic ignition upon introduction of the'gases.

Aften the piston has traveled a-portion of the power stroke, the valves J and L are closed and the point of cut-o may be varied to suit the requirements of the load. 'Ihus the gases will operate expansively during the remainder of thepower'stroke-to secure the greatest efficiency.

As a full'cylinder volume of air is compressed during each cycle and trapped in the chamber G,.while only a portion of this volume is permitted to enter the cylinder chamber, it is obvious that the pressure in the chamber Gr will rise until` the desired limit is obtained. This limit is preferably set at the point of greatest efficiency while any further compression may be exhaustedthrough an automatic valve S or in any other way. i

While I have shown the one form of apparatus it is obviousl that the same method may be employed with various constructions in which provisionjs made for the control of the compressed air and for trapping the c tion controlled b stroke, in commin-A gling with the admitte stream of air a proportionate quantity of fuel to cause combusthe piston displacement, and in cutting o .the supply after a portion of the piston stroke to utilize the gases eX- pansively. 1

' 2. The method of operating internal combustion engines, comprising compressing in g the engine cylinder a volume of air during each compression stroke and ejecting and trapping the successive volumes in proximity to and under the internal heat of said cylinder, and in re-admitting to the cylinder a variable portion of the trapped air commingled with fuel during each working stroke.

3. The method of operating internal combustion engines, comprising the compression and ejection of equal amounts of air during each compression stroke, the 'trapping of successive ejections in proximity to and under the internal heat of the engine, and in re-admitting to the engine cylinder variable quantities. of the' trapped air commingled with fuel during working strokes, the variations being compensated for by a change in pressure of the trapped air.

4. The method of operating internal combustion engines, which comprises compressing vair in thp working cylinder, storing air so compressed in a chamber in proximityy to the engine cylinder and under the internal heat thereof, in returning air fromA said chamber to the working cylinder, in controlling thev return of the air by a variable Itime means, and in commingling exteriorly CHARLES D. McoLINfroeK.

Witnesses JAMES Pf BARRY, DELBERT COLLINS. 

